This past Tuesday is not one that I’ll soon forget. Earlier this year I met a wonderful lady from the Women’s Department Club here in Marion, and she invited me to speak at the November meeting of the Club.

I’ll admit, I was a little bit nervous, as I’m not a speaker by trade. The written word has always been kind to me, and I’ve grown comfortable with this medium. But it was such an honor to be invited and for such a wonderful group of ladies who are so often giving back to this community.

So as you can imagine, Tuesday afternoon found me standing at a podium at Sunnycrest United Methodist Church, clearing my throat and staring at the 17 index cards I’d created to help me through the presentation. Sure I was nervous, although I had possibly the most forgiving audience imaginable: a group of retired, charitable, and kind ladies who have read my blog and are already rooting for me to do a good job. So with a deep breath, I launched into my speech...and I think it went pretty well.

But by far the best part of the afternoon was not my speech. My 30 years of experiences, even with the dog and family thrown in, couldn’t stack up against the wealth of wisdom and joyful memories assembled in that room, and thank goodness for that. Being surrounded by a group of women that are full of stories and willing to share them is a blessing not to be ignored.

A met a lady who pointed to another woman in the crowd and told me they’d known each other since grade school, lived across the street from each other and raised their children together. This particular woman had over 80 years of living to draw from, and I stood in awe of a friendship that spans the better part of a century.

Another lady told me about the time she snuck around her neighbor’s backyard while he was pushing a lawnmower and shot him with a marshmallow gun. Numerous times! I got the distinct impression that this had happened recently. What a great story to share! And what a great lesson, to not take yourself so seriously, to remember that fun isn’t just for childhood.

We talked about the financial situation that so many people are facing in this county, but we also talked about how generous and charitable those same people are with their time and money. We talked about respecting each other, and how offering advice isn’t about looking down on someone, it’s about saying I’ve been there and I want to help. We talked about hope.

So thank you to the wonderful ladies of the Women’s Department Club. I had a blast. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.